


The Incomplete Revenge

by TheWaterGoddess



Category: C.I.D. (India TV), Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Crime, Death, Gen, Love, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, happy endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 13:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13191309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWaterGoddess/pseuds/TheWaterGoddess
Summary: Abhijeet always felt that his revenge was incomplete. Rocky did not deserve such a quick and easy death. He should have felt the fear of certain death approach him...For all Sherlock fans - it does not matter if you have not watched CID. The case is described in the story well enough to make sense.[For The Dark Sunshine Challenge.]





	The Incomplete Revenge

**Author's Note:**

> For The Dark Sunshine Challenge.
> 
> As per the conditions, the story includes Freddy and Rocky, however all characters have equal importance in the story, not more, not less. It is a little long as I am not good at writing short stories :)
> 
> I would like to state that this fic will primarily focus on CID. And about the deductions Sherlock makes, I would like to give credit to all the wonderful authors out there who have written marvellous Sherlock fics. I have taken a few ideas from them, though most are originally mine.
> 
> Though this story will have investigation in it, it will not be the main theme and most of you will be able to guess the culprit easily. This story is about revenge, a revenge that was left incomplete.
> 
> Though that is not the only thing in the story, there are some parts in the story that focus on the relationship the CID members have between them. A few humour filled moments - though I'm not so good at writing humorous scenes :)
> 
> 'Thoughts'
> 
> "Dialogues"  
> ...
> 
> Disclaimer : I Don't Own CID or Sherlock Holmes.
> 
> ...
> 
> CID and Sherlock – The Incomplete Revenge
> 
> ...
> 
> Characters:
> 
> ACP Pradyuman
> 
> Retired – Senior Inspector Abhijeet
> 
> Senior Inspector Fredericks
> 
> Inspector Sachin
> 
> Sub – Inspector Vivek
> 
> Sub – Inspector Tasha
> 
> Sub – Inspector Kajal
> 
> Dr Salunkhe
> 
> Dr Tarika
> 
> Rocky – A criminal whose face is identical to Abhijeet's
> 
> Consulting Detective Sherlock Holmes
> 
> Retired – Army Doctor John Watson

The bullet had come speeding towards him; it had been fired so fast that he hadn't seen it coming. There was no way that he could have dodged it.

It struck him right in the chest and blood spurted out of the wound, staining his sweat soaked shirt in red. He staggered forward a couple of steps before his legs collapsed, no longer able to carry his weight.

' _This is it_ ,' he thought, ' _the End_.'

But it was not; for days later, when he opened his eyes it was to see the first rays of sunlight peeking through the half curtained window.

He couldn't believe it! He was alive!

He had been certain that he would not live, so certain that now that he was not dead, he had no idea what to do. He could always return to his old job, but that thought did not appeal to him as of now. So he decided that it would be best for him to disappear.

And he did, disappear, that is. And no one, absolutely no one heard of him for years to come.

* * *

Abhijeet reclined back in his old, creaky arm-chair and propped his feet up on the footstool; one hand holding the day's newspaper, the other, a cup of tea. As he read the headlines and skimmed through the first few articles, he felt loneliness creep up on him. Such a loneliness that had not left him since it had gripped him 3 years ago.

_ Flashback Begins _

Abhijeet felt a sense of profound relief when Daya finally arrived to rescue him. In his usual style, Daya broke the door open and burst in, gun in hand. Hysterical laughter threatened to burst from his lips, but he reined it in

Instead, he spoke, "I knew you would come, Daya. I knew it!"

Daya gave him a small smile, "If you hadn't left those clues for me, I would have been too late…"

' _Too late?_ ' Abhijeet thought, ' _Why would he have been too late?'_

Daya brought him up speed with the current events. Apparently, someone had threatened to finish off CID on the 15th of August. 'Someone', who was currently playing the role of Abhijeet and was trusted by all the members of the CID Team, (except Daya, of course). The only way to show them that they were wrong was to prove that there was an imposter among them. And that meant that the real Abhijeet had to be found.

Daya had finally found Abhijeet, but it was on the day of 15th August. Now they had to hurry and stop the imposter before he killed everyone.

The two of them reached the auditorium just as ACP Pradyuman shook hands with the imposter while felicitating him. The real Abhijeet went towards the backstage, while Daya entered the auditorium through one of the main entrances.

Upon Daya's appearance, all the CID officers pointed their guns at him. The audience had never cleared itself as fast as it did today. When even after explaining the truth many times, they did not believe Daya, Abhijeet pushed open the door that led directly onto the stage and stepped through.

On seeing him, his imposter – Rocky – quickly pointed his gun at ACP Pradyuman. Insults and barbs, that Abhijeet did not care to remember, were traded. It all led to a violent struggle between Rocky and Daya. They rolled upon the floor and behind the curtains, trying to get the upper hand. When the first gun shot was heard and Daya immediately staggered out from behind the curtains, all the CID officers breathed a sigh of relief and victory. However, it was short lived when they realised that it was Daya that the bullet had struck.

Rocky got up, laughing maniacally, Abhijeet's handsome features twisted, expressing dark glee. The real Abhijeet, however, did not waste time expressing rage, or grief like his colleagues. He pointed his gun at Rocky and pulled the trigger. His perfect aim guaranteed that the bullet would not miss its mark. And it didn't. It struck him on the chest and he quickly fell to it.

* * *

Daya was rushed to the nearest hospital at Godspeed. The doctor gave them no assurances; too much blood had been lost, the bullet had struck too close to the heart; if Daya survived, it would be a miracle.

As Abhijeet paced in the corridor outside the OT (Operation Theatre), he felt the heavy burden of guilt settle upon him. A totally misplaced, pointless sense of guilt, but he felt it all the same. After all the troubles Daya had to face; hiding from his colleagues, trying to expose Rocky's deception, secretly working to find Abhijeet; this was a very harsh deal Life dealt him. But Life was hardly fair.

The doctor did not bring good news. During Daya's last moments, he tried to put up a brave front, holding tightly onto Daya's hand as he quietly reminisced about the good old days. If a couple of tears slid down his cheek, no one mentioned it.

Abhijeet and ACP Pradyuman, each held on to one hand of Daya's as he took in a few painful breaths, trying to bid them farewell in a way that could never truly be done.

As Daya finally slipped away into the arms of Death, the tears, which the two senior officers had carefully kept at bay, fell unhindered down their cheeks.

It was not the first death CID had faced, of their own officer, but this one certainly hit them the hardest.

* * *

Things became very different in CID after that.

Abhijeet grew more cold, his face – a stoic mask. Where previously he had an amicable, if friendly relationship with his juniors, now it was purely professional and entirely impersonal. The only one he expressed any concern, outwardly, was for ACP Pradyuman.

ACP Pradyuman remained mostly the same. However, he too became slightly distant. He sub-consciously blamed Abhijeet for everything, it did not help that the imposter lived among them with Abhijeet's face plastered upon his own. And since Abhijeet too blamed himself, it put a strain on their once familial relationship.

Fredericks lost his playful nature. Though he would still smile, he was more serious now. He stayed by Abhijeet, trying to fill the empty space beside him. He knew that he would never be what Daya was to Abhijeet, but he would try his best to keep Abhijeet happy and cheerful. When all the cutting words and cold-shoulders Abhijeet graced him with, had no effect, Abhijeet reluctantly let down the impersonal wall he had built up and let Freddy in.

Vivek and Tasha did not have a very strong bond with Daya. They regarded him as a mentor, a senior to emulate. They missed him dearly, but his death did not bring about any major changes in them.

The new officers that had joined their team, Inspector Sachin and Sub – Inspector Kajal had never seen the interactions between ACP Pradyuman, Abhijeet and Daya, had never witnessed the dynamics of Abhijeet and Daya's friendship, and had never known Freddy act anything but serious. So they did not truly realise what had changed, that where the team of officers once worked as a family, now it was only that – a team of officers.

Dr Salunkhe was also greatly affected by Daya's death. While the sarcasm was still an integral part of his personality, the usual teasing barbs he exchanged with Abhijeet and the ACP were no longer so common.

With her budding friendship with Abhijeet, Dr Tarika had come to view Daya as a close friend. His death had strained the relationship she had with Abhijeet. They had both agreed to remain separate and grieve for Daya in their own way. As for the future…it would be decided later.

* * *

It was a week after Daya's death, when Freddy walked inside the Bureau, his facial expression telling them that it was not good news that he brought.

"What is it?" asked ACP Pradyuman, wondering what was wrong.

"Sir," began Freddy "the doctor responsible for Rocky, he pronounced him dead," Abhijeet's tense shoulders relaxed, at least he had avenged Daya, but he did not like the words uttered by Freddy next, "and he also cremated him, without waiting for our orders or approval."

The doctor was thoroughly berated for his unprofessionalism, but in the end, what could do they do? Rocky's body was already cremated, turned to ashes.

Abhijeet was unhappy about this and Freddy could read it in his face even months later. In fact, after six months when he still grumbled about it under his breath, Freddy put his hand on Abhijeet's shoulder, "Sir," he said softly, "at least you had your revenge,"

"Yes," Abhijeet agreed, "I had my revenge Freddy, but I do not feel satisfied. Why don't I feel satisfied anymore? Nothing I do gives me satisfaction." As if suddenly realising the truth of his words, he continued, "My duty now feels like a chore, Freddy. Why does it not give me a sense of fulfilment, when I capture criminals anymore?"

Freddy had no answer to it. And somehow it was not surprising to him when Abhijeet's resignation found itself on ACP Pradyuman's desk the next day. After all, what was left for him here now?

ACP never talked to him unless it was regarding a case, he never talked to anyone too unless it pertained to a case. The only person he truly communicated with was Freddy and he did not need to continue his job as a CID officer to do so.

That day he packed all his belongings he had in the Bureau, as well as all of Daya's things he had kept there and moved out. He did not speak to anyone or give an explanation.

However, he did stop to say a few words to Freddy, "You have been a very good friend to me Freddy. Don't be a stranger and visit me sometimes, won't you?"

Freddy had simply smiled in assurance and agreement.

_ Flashback Ends _

Abhijeet let out a sigh as he finished his tea. He got up, dropping the newspaper carelessly on the centre-table, as he went to the kitchen to put his cup in the sink. He moved inside his room and picked out a shirt and a pair of trousers to go with his grey coat. He slipped his watch onto his wrist and went back to the hall and pulled out a pair of socks from under the shoe-stand.

Just as he slipped his shoes on, he heard the noise of a car engine outside his house. The car stopped and three – no, four – people got out and walked towards his house. The four pairs of footsteps he heard stopped at his door and a moment later, the door-bell rang. He opened it immediately. The sight that greeted him was unexpected.

ACP Pradyuman, Freddy, Vivek and Kajal stood outside his house. And by the expression on their faces, it certainly wasn't a social visit.

Not that he could even expect ACP to visit him. If not for work keeping him busy, he had personal excuses to keep him away from Abhijeet.

They moved inside his house without his permission, not that he would deny them, but he recognised their stance – they were here to interrogate him.

"Abhijeet," said ACP, curiosity tinting his voice, "were you, perchance, leaving for someplace, or have you arrived from somewhere?"

"Leaving," answered Abhijeet cautiously. _'Since when did he have to be cautious in front of ACP?'_ Abhijeet thought sub-consciously, as his eye searched Freddy's; silently asking him what was the problem.

Freddy simply shook his head and looked away, as ACP continued, "Where to?"

"I don't think that's any of your business, sir," Abhijeet replied evenly.

ACP Pradyuman rounded on him, furious, but before he could begin to shout, Abhijeet interrupted him, "I do not have to report to you about what I do or where I go in my free time. I am free to do as I wish."

"Yes," agreed ACP, slightly calmer, but unmistakable fury still bubbled underneath the surface, "you are free to do as you wish, but – but only as long as it does not harm others. Once it does…you have to answer to me."

He took a deep breath and repeated, "So, where were you about to go?"

Instead of answering him, Abhijeet fired a question back at him, "What is all this about?"

"Answer my question!" roared ACP.

"Not until you tell me what all this is about!" he retorted.

They looked at each other, waiting for the other to back down. Freddy made to intervene in their staring (more like glaring) match, but before he could, both of them, each raised a hand to silence him. Freddy shook his head, not liking how this 'interrogation' was proceeding.

After a few moments, ACP Pradyuman spoke, "I can have you arrested."

Abhijeet looked taken aback and Freddy too gave a loud protest, "Sir!"

Vivek and Kajal stood quietly, not really understanding what would happen next.

Abhijeet finally found his voice and asked strongly, "On what grounds, sir?"

ACP's eyes gleamed, either with unshed tears or anger, as he replied, "Murder."

* * *

A few days ago, a new case had been reported to the CID officers. A murder had taken place, which really, was nothing new to them. However, this case had baffled the police. The murderer had left almost no clues.

The modus operandi was not unusual; a bullet had been shot, straight at the heart. Very less chance of survival for the victim.

At first, the CID officers handled it like every other case, but when even after two more deaths, all in the same fashion, took place, they realised that this could be a very dangerous criminal they were facing.

Each victim had been shot at the heart; the bullet was fired from the same gun, Dr Salunkhe had confirmed; which lead them to believe that the murderer was also the same.

Fredericks, finally promoted from Inspector to Senior Inspector, was the officer in charge of this case. As such, when he was notified of a fourth murder that had taken place, he immediately notified ACP and left for the crime scene with two other officers.

The fourth victim had been killed inside a car, in the same way as the others had been. Papers found inside the car proved that the vehicle belonged to the victim.

Freddy finished questioning the bystanders and went back to the car, where Vivek and Tasha were busy examining the dead body.

"Did the killer leave any clues for us?" asked Freddy, not really expecting a positive answer. After all, the murderer had taken every precaution in the previous murders, why should this time be any different?

So, he was naturally surprised when Tasha gleefully replied, "Yes, sir! The murderer was not so careful this time. He left his whole hand print for us!"

"Is that so?" Freddy moved forward and asked Tasha to show him. She handed him a magnifying glass and pointed at the hand break. He checked it and true enough, there was a hand print there, with finger prints of all five fingers.

"Every criminal, no matter how clever, always makes some mistake," Freddy remarked. Then he sighed, "But don't raise your hopes too high, the print might be of the victim's."

"Very less chance, sir," replied Vivek, "as there are no other finger prints anywhere on the car. It seems as if the murderer wiped the car down to erase evidence, but missed the hand break while doing so."

Freddy nodded, "It might be so. And let's hope you are right, for as of now, the number of dead bodies is increasing and we are no closer to catching the culprit."

* * *

It was a week ago that the Medical Conference had gotten over. Dr John Watson had been all for returning back to London immediately, the hot and humid climate of Mumbai not really to his liking. But on Sherlock Holmes' insistence, he had agreed to extend their stay in Mumbai to three weeks and tour the city.

They were currently seated in a restaurant, waiting for their order to arrive. Sherlock was amusing himself by deducing about the personal lives of the people seated in the restaurant.

He had tuned him out after hearing about the number of cats the lady siting behind them owned and just what a heavy drinker the portly man two tables away was. However, he was startled from his half-sleepy state, when a familiar face walked inside the restaurant with a beautiful young woman with him.

"Sherlock!" he interrupted his friend, "I hope you don't mind company?" Before Sherlock could answer, he got up, walked to where the man stood and laid a hand on his shoulder.

The man turned around and exclaimed when he saw who it was, "Dr Watson! What a surprise!"

John gave a huge smile, "I must say the same Dr Salunkhe! Why don't you and your friend," he nodded at the woman, "join us? We can catch up with each other as we eat."

They agreed and he walked back to their table. Sherlock looked at the new comers with intrigue and John hoped he wouldn't start deducing stuff about them from the clothes they wore or the shampoo they used (or something like that). Dr Salunkhe was a man who liked his secrets kept secret and wouldn't like it if it was spouted out as if it were common knowledge.

"Dr Salunkhe, this is a good friend of mine –" he began, but Sherlock interrupted, introducing himself, "Sherlock Holmes, a Consulting Detective."

Their guests raised an eyebrow at the term 'Consulting' but did not comment.

"I am Dr Salunkhe," Salunkhe introduced himself, "a Forensic Expert. And this is my assistant, Dr Tarika."

John smiled warmly at her and she responded by politely dipping her head in a half-nod, in acknowledgement.

Sherlock snorted, "Don't bother, John. She's taken."

Tarika raised an eyebrow curiously, "An answer I could have given myself, had he asked," said Tarika.

John smiled sheepishly in apology, while Dr Salunkhe looked at Sherlock as if he were a new species under his microscope.

"And how do you know that, Mr Holmes?" asked the Forensic doctor curiously, "It is something that not even I was aware of."

Sherlock grinned, "I did say that I am a Consulting Detective." And he went on to explain about the 'Science of Deduction' and how employing it would let you know many things about a person that they themselves, usually, are unaware of.

"What more can you tell about me?" asked Tarika curiously.

Sherlock clapped his hands once with a small smile. It was good that the woman had given him verbal permission to deduce things about her, as he would have done it even without asking her, though inconspicuously. He rested his chin on his palm, his elbow resting on the table. He looked about her person once, before he began speaking.

"You are a woman in your late twenties, perhaps 29? You live alone and are very particular about cleanliness, something your profession undoubtedly demands. You are not fond of jewellery, clearly and are quite well off. As I mentioned before, you have a boy-friend, perhaps fiancé? No, not fiancé, certainly. But currently you do not seem to be on good terms with each other…"

He stopped speaking all of a sudden as the waiter arrived with their food.

After taking a few bites, he asked her, "Well? Am I right?" Of course he was right! He was just being courteous, asking the lady what she thought of his deductions.

Tarika had closed her gaping mouth when the waiter arrived, but she still couldn't believe it… He had taken a glance at her and spouted stuff about her as if he had known her since years.

So, attempting to gain back some dignity, she said, "Right on all accounts. Except one, I'm 28 years old. I shall turn 29 next month."

Sherlock cursed under his breath, "Of course, the year is not over…it's always something, that I get wrong."

John snickered, "Keeps you humble, Sherlock, it keeps you humble."

"Fascinating!" Dr Salunkhe exclaimed. Then he suddenly turned to Tarika, "You're seeing someone? Who is it? Is it Roshan? Or Sarang?" Those were not the names that would have first come to his mind, but as Abhijeet was no longer there, it had to be one of them. Roshan and Sarang were old college friends of Tarika and the only ones she was in touch with.

Tarika did not reply and realising that they were outside, in a public place, Dr Salunkhe let the matter drop. He had become slightly overprotective of her over the years. After Daya's death, Abhijeet and Tarika had moved apart. Not knowing that it was a mutual decision, he felt that it was wrong of Abhijeet to treat her so callously.

"How did you know, though?" Tarika directed her question at Sherlock, "that I live alone, or my age?"

Sherlock sighed; almost every person asked him this question – _'How?'_ It was difficult to answer this question, but he tried to make it simple enough.

"It takes time to become a qualified doctor," he began, "and knowing the education system of India and the estimated time to do specialisation in a field, I hazarded a guess for you to be in your late twenties or early thirties. Women begin to show aging lines around their eyes and the back of their hands, as they grow older. Hence, 29 was a safe guess."

"And the fact that I live alone?"

"It is the weekend. Knowing your profession, it must be with difficulty if you manage to eat even one meal at home. The fact that you have come to a restaurant with your colleague suggests that there might be no family waiting at home. As for the cleanliness, it is seen in the way you dress. And you dress impeccably, madam." He complimented her.

"What about my fondness for jewellery, or lack thereof?"

"You have your ears pierced, possibly during infancy, as seems to be the custom in India. However, you do not wear ear rings, or any kind of bracelet, bangles, necklaces, or any other kind of accessories. That led me to believe that you might not be fond of them."

Then he paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts and taking a spoonful of the wonderful Biryani served to him. Indian food had a unique taste!

"The ring on your finger gave me a pause," Sherlock continued after swallowing, "before I recognised it as a promise ring, suggesting that you have a boy-friend. Unlike you, your boy-friend clearly appreciates jewellery and has a good taste."

At his words, Dr Salunkhe's attention was drawn to the plain silver band on Tarika's ring finger. It was thin with fine carvings on it, making it look like thin twines that had coiled around her digit like a braid.

"People often dress to impress," Sherlock continued, "and even though your boyfriend clearly likes jewellery and must have gifted you with quite a few, it is only the ring that you wear. That might mean that as of now, you are not together, or that he has passed away."

When Tarika did not confirm anything, he continued, "Not wanting to touch on the sensitive topic of death, I chose to presume the former."

Dr Salunkhe was impressed. He grudgingly gave him a nod of respect and turned to Tarika, "Brilliant deduction, wouldn't you say so?"

"Of course," his assistant agreed, "but in all your years in CID, you must have come across officers with equally remarkable skills."

"The CID?" interrupted John, "Is that where you work, Salunkhe? I would have thought you would immerse yourself in research."

"Nah," replied Dr Salunkhe, "this job gives me far more satisfaction. And I get to see quite a few interesting cases."

As the conversation drifted to other topics, he thought about what Tarika said. In his years in CID he had worked with many brilliant officers. The first, of course, being ACP Pradyuman. Pradyuman was a great detective, able to see cases in a different angle and known for his remarkable detective skills.

Asha, an officer he had known a long time ago, was till now, he would say, the best female officer to be a part of CID.

And Daya – the man had been an integral part of the CID Team. He had led quite a few cases, most of which had been solved in record time.

But if he had to pin point a particular officer, who could rival Holmes, it would be Abhijeet. Abhijeet was well known for his deductive reasoning, a knack for noticing hidden clues and his perfect aim.

He would have loved to pit him against Holmes and see how they got along with each other.

* * *

Dr Salunkhe, Dr Tarika, John Watson and Sherlock Holmes were currently in the Forensic Lab. As there was nothing that the Forensic Department had to do for the case as of now, John and Sherlock had returned with them, to see the Lab.

It was some hours later that Dr Salunkhe's phone rang. He looked at the name of the caller and sighed, thinking, ' _Let's hope it's not news about another murder.'_

He received the call and spoke, "Hello, Freddy."

The others watched as Dr Salunkhe listened quietly to what Freddy said and then reply with, "Okay, send it," and then end the call.

"Another death?" asked Tarika sounding resigned.

"Yes," he replied, "shot in the chest region. And they found a clue this time – a whole hand print. Let's hope it is the murderer's."

Sherlock and John looked intrigued. But Dr Salunkhe turned to them, "You'll have to leave, gentlemen. There's been another murder and we have to get back to work."

"Surely we can stay and watch," said Sherlock, "after all, I'm a detective and the best in my country."

"I'm afraid not," Tarika replied firmly, "we work under the government. You are a private detective and as such, are unable to involve yourself in this case unless asked."

Sherlock looked ready to argue but John stopped him, laying a hand on his shoulder. He pulled out a notepad and pen, and Sherlock realising what John meant, stayed quiet. John scribbled down a few words on the pad, tore the page and handed it to them.

"This is the hotel where we are lodged. If you ever need help, remember us. Sherlock is truly a great detective and he needs something to keep him busy," John said with a smile.

They left and the two Forensic doctors got to work. The dead body and the finger prints were thoroughly checked by them. To their surprise, the finger prints matched with one in their records and seeing who it was gave both the doctors a shock.

"Impossible!" was the only word Tarika could utter.

* * *

There were not many things ACP Pradyuman regretted in his life.

Failing his son was one of them. He had often wondered what would have happened if he had spent more time with him, been more of a father to him. He did not regret shooting him as it was a criminal and not his son that he had killed. What he regretted was not being a good, loving father that Nakul desired.

Not believing Daya was another. How many times did Daya tell him that it was not Abhijeet but an imposter in his place? ACP Pradyuman however trusted Abhijeet; that is Rocky in Abhijeet's disguise; over Daya. He failed to recognise that it was Abhijeet who was the imposter and suspected Daya instead. Daya was like his own son and he regretted that his mistake cost him his son's life.

Lastly, he regretted pushing Abhijeet away. After Daya's death, he had started distancing himself from Abhijeet. Part of him blamed Abhijeet, even though logically he knew that it was in no way Abhijeet's fault. Abhijeet's behaviour with him did not change, he was still the same as always – ever present beside him, managing his duties when he was absent, offering encouragement whenever a case seemed difficult to solve. In short, he tried to fill the empty place Daya had left. Instead of acknowledging it, he ignored it. And finally, one day, it became too much for Abhijeet and he left CID. ACP Pradyuman regretted that he did not have the courage to stop him from leaving.

ACP Pradyuman shook his head; it was no use dwelling on past memories. He had to concentrate on the current case. He looked at his watch, it was already late evening. He made to pack all files into the drawer; just then Freddy entered his cabin, an expression of disbelief on his face. In his hands was a file, most probably Salunkhe's report.

"What is it?" ACP Pradyuman asked, "Bad news? Are you stumped? Is the case not moving forward?"

"No, sir," Freddy replied, "We got finger prints from the crime scene. But it is bad news, sir."

ACP Pradyuman took the file and opened it. The first few pages were the usual formalities. Then came the photocopy of the print they found. The next page showed the print they had in their records. At the end of the page, it was written – 'Match Found.'

Pradyuman's eyes widened as he saw whose name it was.

"Sachin!" he called out.

"Sir?" Sachin came into the cabin.

"Find out if the victims have any, absolutely any, link with _him_." He handed Sachin the file and pointed out the name.

Then he turned to Freddy, "Come, I need to pay Abhijeet a long overdue visit."

With that he walked out of the Bureau. The next morning they were ringing the doorbell of Retired – Senior Inspector Abhijeet's house.

* * *

Freddy had stepped between ACP and Abhijeet before the situation became worse. On his insistence, Abhijeet agreed to come with them to the Bureau.

On arriving there, Sachin pulled ACP Pradyuman aside and gave him a few papers. Apparently the victims did know _him_.

ACP Pradyuman put the photos of the victims on the table before Abhijeet.

"Do you recognise them?" he asked.

When Abhijeet looked at the photos curiously but did not answer, ACP continued, "Vikram, Eshaan, Hemant and Jaggu. All of them – most wanted criminals. All of them – culprits in the cases Daya personally worked on, cases which were never solved."

Abhijeet's eyes snapped up at that, finally remembering where he knew them from.

"And all of them," continued ACP Pradyuman, "were killed by your hand. Murdered!"

"NO!" Abhijeet shouted, shocked. Then calming down, he said, "I have not killed them, sir. As it is, I am no longer a CID officer. Catching criminals is not my job now."

"And neither is killing them," retorted ACP. "Daya is dead, Abhijeet. Killing criminals related to his cases won't bring him back. Nor give you any peace. What misguided revenge are you taking?"

"I have not killed them, sir! Believe me! Do you think that I could do this?"

ACP Pradyuman smiled wryly, "I would never have thought you could do such a thing till I saw the report."

"Which report?" asked Abhijeet.

"The finger prints report. Yes. Abhijeet, your finger prints were found at the crime scene. Looks like you made a small mistake and forgot to clear all evidence this time."

"That's impossible, sir!" Abhijeet protested, "I was never even there."

ACP Pradyuman shook his head sadly, "Proof shows otherwise. I can't believe you would do this, Abhijeet… You have changed, and I don't think I know you anymore."

The words cut Abhijeet somewhere deep. He looked about; Tasha, Vivek, Kajal and Sachin looked forward resolutely, not a single expression on their faces. They did not meet his eyes; it seemed as if they too thought him as the culprit.

Freddy however, looked straight at him. Unwavering loyalty and belief shone in his eyes. It was the same look that Daya had given him many times when he would be accused of doing something wrong. At that moment, it hit him; Freddy had become precious to him, occupying a place in his heart only reserved for family.

"The punishment for murder is death," Abhijeet spoke up and they all looked at him curiously, wondering what he meant by this statement, "and I don't think you ever knew me, sir, if you think I would leave you alone…"

ACP turned away from him at that, not knowing what to say. Abhijeet was the one who knew him best. Out of all his officers, if there was someone who could say that they knew the real ACP Pradyuman, it was Abhijeet. So of course, Abhijeet realised that ACP was scared of losing him too. Of losing his last son to death.

ACP very much wanted to believe it. But just as Abhijeet knew him best, he too knew Abhijeet better than the others. Abhijeet was a master of manipulation. And this talent of his was used many times to capture wily criminals. He would not let Abhijeet sweet talk him out of this.

"Where were you on the 2nd, 10th and 18th of this month?" ACP asked Abhijeet, pushing his words to the back of his mind.

Abhijeet paused for a moment to think, before replying, "Out of town, sir."

"On all of these days?" ACP raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, sir."

"What a co-incidence! For it was on these days that the first three deaths occurred."

Abhijeet remained quiet.

"Where had you gone? And why?"

"Pune," Abhijeet replied, "on some personal business matter."

It was not the entire truth, but it was not a lie either. He had gone to Pune, but not on any business matter.

"And what time did you leave for Pune?" ACP asked.

"At about 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning,"

ACP shook his head, chuckling without mirth, "And it was in the early hours of the morning that the murders took place – at nearly 6 or 7 o'clock. Perfect, wouldn't you say?"

When Abhijeet once again stayed quiet, ACP continued, "You must have killed them in the morning and then returned home, from where you left to go out of town. You clearly had enough time to murder them, yet you say you haven't done it!"

"And I still say it, sir. I have not committed this crime."

"Do you have an alibi?" ACP Pradyuman asked, "Do you?"

"No," Abhijeet replied quietly.

There was a tense silence for a moment before ACP spoke again, "They were all shot in the heart. No chance of survival. Does that sound familiar to you?"

' _Yes_ ,' thought Abhijeet, ' _it was the way Daya died. But that does not mean that I killed them.'_

Out loud he said, "You could ask the watchman of our society. He will tell you that I left my house at around 9 o'clock and not earlier."

This made ACP laugh, "Do not down play your abilities so much, Abhijeet. We both know that you could talk circles around him, till he believes that today is Diwali and it is time to burst crackers. If you wanted to, you could easily fool him and leave under his nose. The watchman's word cannot save you."

ACP Pradyuman shook his head. "We have solid proof, Abhijeet. Your finger prints are the only ones found at the crime scene."

Freddy speaks up, "Sir, what are you saying? Abhijeet sir would never do this. It must be a plot to get Abhijeet sir in trouble."

ACP gave him a look that plainly said, ' _Shut up._ '

Pradyuman turned back to Abhijeet, "Where were you going today morning? When we came to your house."

"Pune," replied Abhijeet.

ACP gave a bark of laughter, "What a strange co-incidence! Once again you leave for Pune and a murder takes place the day before. Why? Can you give me the answer, Abhijeet?"

Abhijeet stayed silent.

"I would never have thought to consider you as a suspect," ACP Pradyuman seemed to be on a roll today. "But you made a mistake Abhijeet by leaving your finger prints there."

"Sir, I have worked in CID for years. Don't you think that if I wanted to kill someone, I would wear gloves and do it?" Abhijeet tried to reason.

"Ah, but you forget," ACP countered, "that every criminal, no matter how clever always makes some mistake. It seems as if 3 years of not being on duty has made you lax. You have lost your vigilance."

"No matter what you say, sir, I will repeat one thing till you believe it. I have not killed them!"

* * *

All the officers left Abhijeet alone in the interrogation room. A new case had come up, one unrelated to the present case. ACP Pradyuman was leading the investigation of this new case and Freddy re-entered the interrogation room as soon as he left.

It was not a sight he expected to see. His senior, Abhijeet, had always been the pillar of strength for him, for all of them. He represented righteousness and justice. That one day he would be locked inside the interrogation room like a criminal…

He went in and took a seat opposite Abhijeet. Abhijeet did not give any indication, but he knew that he had sensed him enter. Abhijeet had reclined back in his chair, his eyes closed. To anyone else, it would appear as if he was asleep, but Freddy knew him well enough to tell that he was thinking. Probably about the mess he had found himself in.

A few minutes later he opened his eyes. His lips quirked up in a small smile.

"Thank you, Freddy." Abhijeet spoke quietly.

There was no reason to ask, _'For what?_ ' The answer was as clear as day – ' _For believing in me, for supporting me, for having faith in me.'_

"How do you think this was done, sir?" Freddy asked after a moment. He might have been promoted to Senior Inspector, but to him Abhijeet would always be senior. Besides, Abhijeet was a brilliant detective. If anyone could shed light upon this case now, it would be Abhijeet.

"There is no doubt that the murderer wants me to take the blame." Abhijeet said, "Which is why he committed the crime at a time I would have no alibi. But how did he know when I leave for Pune?"

"Yes, sir," Freddy agreed with a frown, "How did he know that? Were your visits pre-planned?"

Freddy watched as Abhijeet's eyes lit up at that thought and he sat straighter. Then seeing Freddy's confused look he explained, "I go to the Mamta Foundation Orphanage in Pune. And I have been going there since the last two years, every Saturday. The killer must have followed me there and a few questions to the right people, a little money exchanged and he knows my schedule!"

"What about the finger prints, sir?" Freddy asked.

"Yes, that has baffled me too." Abhijeet admitted. "But if you can help me, we can catch the culprit."

"How is that, sir? He has already left your finger prints at the crime scene to blame you. He will not make the mistake of murdering someone while you are with us."

"Exactly. He knows I have been apprehended by the CID, so he won't kill again. But if I were to be left free…he will once again try to kill, this time with more incriminating evidence against me."

It took a moment for a moment for what Abhijeet meant to settle into his brain.

"Wait, you want us to set you free!" Freddy exclaimed. "And who is going to convince ACP sir of this mad plan?"

Abhijeet's grin and look in his direction did nothing to calm him. Ever heard of putting your hand in the lion's mouth? Let it never be said that Freddy was not brave enough to do that.

* * *

The man chuckled, how easy it was to fake his death. A single threat and the poor doctor had almost wet himself. Fear was a great motivator. The doctor had told everyone that the criminal, Rocky, was dead. Cremated. Rotting in hell.

Rocky laughed. Nothing could be farther from the truth. For 3 years, he bid his time quietly. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to take revenge. It seemed that despite all the preparation he had done, he could not fool Daya – Abhijeet's best friend. And because of that, he failed. He had failed to destroy the CID Team.

Not only that, but his gang was finished. Every member had been killed by the CID. _He_ had almost been killed! And by the person he was impersonating no less!

So this time, he did more research. He still had Abhijeet's face upon his own, so he pulled a few strings and all case files pertaining to Senior Inspector Abhijeet was his. He had already mastered the way Abhijeet talked and walked. So now he set himself to the task of learning his habits, his writing style, his favourite food – all small unnoticeable things about him and tried to make it _his_.

Apart from that he kept himself abreast on what was going on in the world. Abhijeet was a smart man. He would not be fooled twice. So, he had to be careful this time around.

Six months later, Rocky got a huge shock when he learnt that Abhijeet resigned from CID. This made it more difficult. When he was a part of CID he could predict what he was doing and where he was. Now he could be anywhere during tha day and he would not know. After all, Mumbai was a big city.

So he started keeping a watch on him. It was a difficult thing to do, but he managed it. After all, he had to be good at such things if he could pretend to be Abhijeet among his colleagues and remain undetected for a week.

Soon, he started noticing a pattern. Every Saturday, without fail, Abhijeet would go out of town in his car. And on Sunday evening, he would return.

This went on for months. One day, he followed him. A difficult task, but he managed it – on the _fourth_ try. Laugh all you want, but it is difficult to follow a car for long, without being noticed!

 _'What is he doing here?'_ he thought.

Looking about he noticed he was at an orphanage. Having made it his mission to know everything about Abhijeet, he did some research about the place, wondering why Abhijeet would come here.

Every weekend the retired CID officer would come here, spend time with the children, walk about the gardens, talk with the staff of the orphanage and leave the next day. If he wanted to spend time with children, he could have done it at any orphanage in Mumbai. Why come to Pune? And there was also the fact that he would donate some money annually to the orphanage.

It was as he was going through one of the case files when he got a clue. The old principal of Mamta Foundation Orphanage was a criminal. The case report also stated that the principal had surrendered before committing suicide. Surrendered – at the request of Inspector Daya.

That was when he found out – Daya spent his childhood at Mamta Foundation and Abhijeet went there every weekend in Daya's memory.

 _'What a foolish thing to do,'_ Rocky huffed, _'the man is dead, for God's sake! What's the use of going to his childhood home?'_

Even after studying Abhijeet's profile religiously, he could never understand the friendship Abhijeet and Daya had. Perhaps that was the reason Daya realised that he was an imposter.

' _Friends_!' Rocky scoffed, ' _What use are they?_ '

He had always thought himself to be above others. Someone as brilliant as him did not need friends to help him. And he wondered why Abhijeet, another brilliant minded individual (hey! He could respect worthy adversaries) ever required friends.

He wondered, though, that if he had had friends, would he have known how to fool Daya?

…

It was amazing how much weight Abhijeet's name carried in the Underworld. One look at his face and the man scurried to get him the best gun available in the black market. A little money thrown in guaranteed the man's silence. Of course, not that he would trust the man to keep quiet indefinitely.

The man was found dead two weeks later and of course no one could trace the death back to him. And the other underground criminals made sure to keep his death a secret.

It took a little more effort and sweet talking on his part to gain access to the files of cases solved by Senior Inspector Daya. He looked through those files and quickly made a list of people that he could kill and lay the blame on Abhijeet.

Now there was only one thing to do. And this would make it fool-proof. It was one thing he had not thought of the last time. But this was his second chance. He would not fail again.

…

Dactyloscopy was a fascinating branch of science. It studied the classification and identification of finger prints. With the help of this technology, one could change their finger-prints to totally match another's. Well, not totally, but it was like skin upon skin; a glove with another's finger prints upon his.

Rocky had Abhijeet's finger prints already from his time spent in impersonating him. All he needed now was someone who could change his finger prints to match Abhijeet's; someone who could masterfully stitch artificial skin, with Abhijeet's fingerprints, over his.

This was where the problem came. No one in India could do it. He would have to go abroad. This would prove difficult as Rocky was presumed dead (not to mention he was a known criminal now) and he couldn't use Abhijeet's identity to book aeroplane tickets. So that left one option – illegally.

It took quite a few months of planning to leave the country, another few months to get the work done and then, he came back to India.

One had to marvel at the power of science! And the progress of man!

 _'Now, Abhijeet_ ,' thought Rocky gleefully, _'everywhere I go, anything I touch ant it will be your finger prints I leave behind.'_

Soon he got down to plan the actual murder. He had to kill in a way that Abhijeet would be blamed. That meant any clues the police found would be only those that he wanted them to find. So he had to plan, and plan carefully.

 _'I will not rest till I see you hanged,'_ vowed Rocky, _'It is time to reunite with your friend, Abhijeet, in death.'_

* * *

Tarika sat quietly at her desk. The report of the finger prints glaring up at her from where she had placed it atop the table. The lab was quiet, she realised. She looked up to check if Dr Salunkhe was there. Salunkhe stood at the window. Though what he was doing facing it, she had no idea, as the curtains were pulled shut as always.

Dr Tarika stood and walked towards him. She pulled open the drapes partly, giving them something to look at apart from the white cotton fabric of the curtains.

 _'Do you believe that Abhijeet did this?'_ she wanted to ask her senior. But she kept quiet, not knowing what the answer would be. No matter what proof there was, she knew, she just _knew_ that Abhijeet was innocent. But, what about Dr Salunkhe? Did he think so? The man had never been too fond of Abhijeet for some reason.

"Ask, Tarika," Dr Salunkhe said tiredly, "Speak what you want to say."

She hesitated for a moment before she ploughed on, "Sir, do you think could have killed them?"

Instead of giving a direct answer, Salunkhe said, "Before Abhijeet lost his memory, he was a brilliant officer. One of the best. But arrogant." He paused and turned to look at her. "After that incident where he lost his memory, he changed. After all, he remembered nothing; he had no knowledge about anything but his name. His personality too changed as a result."

"What do you mean?" asked Tarika curiously.

"Where previously he was always calm and in control," _'and damn infuriating too'_ , explained Salunkhe, "now he became short tempered. Not having his memory, he felt lost in society. Then, he re-entered CID. And with Daya, Asha, Fredericks and Sudhakar's companionship, and Pradyuman's guidance, he balanced himself. One moment he would be calm, relaxed and focussed, the other he would become impulsive, angry and rash. The others did not care, clearly not minding his frequent mood swings."

"But not you," Tarika guessed.

"Not I" agreed Salunkhe, "because as time passed, Abhijeet could voluntarily change his behaviour. If he wanted, he could be charming one moment and dangerous the other. He was unpredictable. I feared that I never recognised his true character. So I was worried if he would ever betray us…"

"But you do like him," Tarika said, hoping it was true, "I've observed, you seem almost fond of him." _Almost_ being the key word here.

"He grew on me," Salunkhe shrugged, "besides, I always knew that one thing about him was true."

"What?"

"He was unfailingly loyal to Pradyuman, loved Daya as his own brother and regarded Freddy as a close friend and trusted comrade."

Tarika smiled at that. Then remembering the beginning question that led to all this story telling, she reminded him, "You never answered my question, sir."

"No," Salunkhe replied after a few moments of silence. "I do not believe he can do such a thing. Because of the reasons I stated before, I know that he wouldn't do this. He would not break the trust and faith Pradyuman has in him and neither would he let Freddy down."

"But ACP sir won't," Tarika sighed dejectedly, "he will assume Abhijeet to be guilty."

"No," Dr Salunkhe gave a small laugh, "he knows and believes Abhijeet to be innocent. But as long as the evidence is against Abhijeet, he will state that Abhijeet is guilty. He will put his duty first, just as he taught us to do."

They stayed silent for a few minutes, and then Tarika reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper. She smoothed it out and pulled out her mobile phone.

"What are you doing?" asked Salunkhe curiously as she dialled a number.

"I cannot help Abhijeet directly," explained Tarika, "as that would be wrong in the eyes of the law. But nothing says that I can't help him indirectly."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"Let's just say, sir that Mr Holmes succeeded in convincing me about how great a detective he is."

* * *

At Marine View Hotel, Sherlock lounged about in a comfortable armchair, flipping through the T.V. channels idly. He was bored. Yesterday, he had almost stuck his thumb into a juicy mystery, but the Forensic doctors had firmly shooed him away, stating that this was the CID's job. He could not interfere till he was personally asked for.

Sherlock had heard many tales about the CID of Mumbai from the locals. It was rumoured that they had a 100% record of solved cases. Clearly, they were competent. So, obviously he never expected that they would take up on John's offer to contact him.

When Sherlock's phone rang a couple of times and he still hadn't answered it, John spoke, "Receive the call, Sherlock, the noise is grating my ears."

 _'Trust Sherlock to keep such a loud, screeching sound as his ring tone,'_ thought John as he tried to read the day's newspaper.

Sherlock simply replied, "You're closer to the phone, John, do it yourself."

"It might be an important call."

"If that is so, then they will call again."

John sighed and the phone ring finally cut off. As Sherlock had said, barely a minute later, it rang again. This time, Sherlock got up eagerly and checked the number displayed. He obviously didn't recognise it.

"Ah! It's our Forensic specialist!" Sherlock exclaimed.

John raised an eyebrow sceptically. _'How did he know?_ ' he thought, ' _By just looking at an unknown number, how did he guess?_ '

Sherlock received the call. He barely spoke more than a few words. A few minutes later, he ended the call and faced John.

"Who was it?" asked John.

"Dr Tarika," replied Sherlock absently, his eyes focusing at a far off point.

"Good guess," was John's compliment to him.

"I don't guess, John," Sherlock reprimanded him for his use of words, "I deduce."

"Oh? And how the deuce did you deduce that? It could have been anyone!"

"Come on, John. This was a fairly easy deduction. Think on it for a minute."

John bit back his retort and taking Sherlock's advice, thought on it. A few minutes later John understood by what he meant that it was an easy deduction.

"This is an Indian, local sim-card. We haven't given this number to anyone except my colleagues, Lestrade, at the reception and to Dr Salunkhe. Had any of my colleagues or Lestrade called, the caller-id would have displayed their name." John stopped his spiel for a moment, confused. "It also could have been a wrong number. Someone could have dialled this number by mistake. How did you rule that out?"

"Wrong numbers will rarely call on the same number twice," replied Sherlock, "and it is also why I said, if it is important, they would call again."

"So, what did Tarika say?" asked John curiously.

"I get to involve myself in their case after all," Sherlock grinned, and then frowned, "but she wants me to help the accused. She wants me to prove him innocent."

"What?" John asked, startled, "Why would she want to help the guilty?"

"Because," said Sherlock, "she doesn't think him to be guilty. And the main thing is that she promised it would be interesting. "

…

It was two days later that Sherlock and John met Tarika and Salunkhe. The doctors had asked them to come to the restaurant where they had first met. From there, they got into a car. Dr Salunkhe drove while Dr Tarika told them all that she knew about the case.

"I don't know everything of course," she confessed, "You will have to talk with the officer in charge for that. His name is Fredericks."

"Alright," Sherlock agreed, "Let's move on to an equally important part. Tell me about them, the CID officers. How much ever you can tell me, please do. For, I shall have to work along with them for now. It is best to now about their character beforehand."

Tarika nodded and began, "Well, the head of CID Mumbai is ACP Pradyuman…"

* * *

The new case had just gotten over today. They had transported the criminal to the Headquarters. So of course, ACP Pradyuman had hoped for a stress free afternoon. However, his hopes were futile.

Freddy had chosen that day to present his plan (or more like, Abhijeet's plan) to the ACP. The end result was not pretty. The others winced when ACP shouted, "Have you lost your mind, Fredericks?"

Freddy shuffled his feet nervously, looking like a misbehaving school boy instead of a Senior Inspector, as he said, "But sir, it makes sense! If we set Abhijeet sir free, the real killer will strike again and we can set a trap to catch him."

"Assuming that there is a killer out there, sir," said Sachin, "Abhijeet sir could have been –"

"Could have been what? Lying?" questioned Freddy angrily, "He would not lie to me!"

"You cannot be sure, Freddy," said ACP ruefully, "Abhijeet is a very convincing liar. And he never shows all his cards at once. He prefers to keep them close to his chest."

"I know that sir," Freddy assured him, at the same time he was surprised that ACP Pradyuman of all people would doubt Abhijeet. "Just as I know that he won't lie about this and certainly not to me. Which is why, I think that Abhijeet sir's plan should be put into motion. The real culprit should be found! _That_ has always been our duty!"

ACP Pradyuman contemplated on Freddy's words. However, how could he be sure that Abhijeet was truly innocent? It was possible that he could have killed them as revenge for Daya; as much as his heart denied it, Abhijeet was their prime suspect.

Just then, the door of the Bureau opened to admit four people. Dr Salunkhe, Dr Tarika and two unknown men entered the Bureau. One of these men moved towards ACP, his hand outstretched. ACP clasped his hand and shook it firmly for a moment before letting it go.

Introductions took place and when Sherlock told them just why exactly he was here, ACP rounded on Salunkhe and said with a forced calm, "Such a big decision and you did not feel the need to inform me about it? You decided to involve outsiders in our case?"

Before Salunkhe could begin to protest, Tarika spoke up, "It was I, sir, who called them. Salunkhe sir had nothing to do with –"

"Do you take me for a fool, Tarika?" ACP interrupted her and she shook her head quickly at the question, "Do you think that I do not know that you would not have made this decision if Salunkhe hadn't backed you up?"

Sherlock intervened before things could escalate, "Come now, ACP, surely there is no harm if I work alongside you in this case. After all, our goal is the same – to catch the culprit."

"Very true, Mr Holmes," ACP Pradyuman agreed, "however, we have already aught the culprit."

"But that is where you might be wrong," Sherlock disagreed, "You have looked at evidence, at solid proof and claimed him to be the murderer. But what about the hidden clues that you might have over looked?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kajal, outraged, "That we haven't done our duty properly? Is that what you are trying to insinuate?"

"Not at all," Sherlock replied coolly, "You have thoroughly searched the crime scene, I'm sure. What I am talking about, is the human mind."

Everyone looked confused, but Sherlock could see that ACP narrowed his eyes in understanding. And Sherlock knew then, that he would be granted permission to meet Abhijeet.

ACP Pradyuman confused Sherlock. Sherlock had seen many people that were difficult to read and the ACP was one of them. The other CID officers were not quite easy, but not that difficult either. But ACP – that man had so many facets that it was difficult to tell what type of man he was exactly. One moment he was enraged that the culprit they had caught would possibly be freed because of him; the other, he was relieved that there was a possibility that Abhijeet would be innocent. And after that, his face had become blank, not showing any emotion. There was also the fact that these emotions had passed so quickly over his face that had he been someone else, he would not have caught it.

After a few formalities and the case details explained to him, they all moved to see Abhijeet – in the CID lockup.

The CID lockup was a simple cell, with metal bars on the door, which one could see through. Inside, there was a small table and a straight backed, wooden chair. Pushed against one wall a small cot and in the corner of the room was a low stool with a pitcher of water on it.

Abhijeet was sitting cross legged on the floor – in the lotus position, _Padmasana_ – his eyes closed and his back pressed to the wall. His shirt had been untucked and the first few buttons had been opened to allow the passage of air. The coat he normally wore had been flung across the back of the chair.

The officers looked at him, wondering how he could sit there peacefully as if nothing had happened to him. Sherlock indicated for them to open the door. It had been decided that he would enter alone and they would lock the door behind him. They, of course, were welcome to stay outside and watch.

Sherlock went in and sat down on the floor beside Abhijeet, such that they were now side by side and they were facing the door of the cell. Outside, everyone crowded about to see what would happen.

…

Freddy gave a glance of uncertainty at ACP as Sherlock Holmes sat himself down beside Abhijeet sir. From what he had gathered about Holmes during their brief talk, where he had explained everything to him about the case, was that he was a smart man who liked to talk in riddles. He knew that the conversation that would follow was mostly going to make sense only to himself and ACP Pradyuman. The good thing about this was that this was a good way to prove to ACP that Abhijeet sir was innocent. At least then they could go ahead with their plan.

He shook himself alert when Abhijeet sir's eyes opened. Predictably, he first saw them as he was facing the door. His eyes came to rest on Freddy for a moment before he turned to look at the man beside him.

…

ACP Pradyuman felt disappointed that Abhijeet did not glance at him, but at Freddy, for reassurance. After all, that's what it was – he saw Freddy and trusted that all would be fine.

' _This is your fault,_ ' ACP thought to himself, _'you pushed him away. No matter how much he respects you, he doesn't trust you easily now. You will have to earn that trust back.'_

It is said that only after losing something that you realise its importance. ACP Pradyuman knew only too well how true it was. But he promised himself, the moment Abhijeet would be declared innocent, he would try to mend things between them. He only hoped that he wouldn't be too late in doing so.

…

Inside the cell, the two men had struck up a conversation that was closely followed by the CID officers standing outside.

"I hope you are not here to psychoanalyse me," said Abhijeet, "It gets irritating after the first couple of times."

"I am no doctor," Sherlock replied with a grin. _'This was going to be fun,'_ he thought.

"No," Abhijeet confirmed a moment later, "but you are a detective."

Sherlock simply smirked. He now understood why Dr Salunkhe had told him he might meet his match in Abhijeet. And that brought him to the fact that if Abhijeet had such a sharp mind then he would have to be even more careful around his previous boss, ACP Pradyuman. He could now understand why the Mumbaikars had so much faith in CID. It truly had some great detectives in it.

"How are you going to get out of this mess, Abhijeet?" Sherlock asked him, wondering if the man had already planned something.

"I see you have me at a disadvantage," Abhijeet said, not replying to his question, "seeing as you know my name and I do not know yours."

"Sherlock Holmes."

"I have done no wrong. I shall get out of this 'mess', as you put it, soon enough. Why are _you_ here? – That is the question."

"It seems as if 'soon enough' is not quick enough for the good doctor. She asked me to take a look at your case."

Abhijeet and Sherlock looked at each other. Abhijeet understood what Sherlock was trying to say. Tarika had asked him to prove Abhijeet innocent, but he would only do it as long as Abhijeet truly was innocent.

Sherlock watched as Abhijeet's gaze shifted from him to Tarika and then finally came to rest on John. John was looking at them with a slight amount of concern. After all, Sherlock was locked inside a cell with a presumed dangerous murderer. Not that the dangerous part was incorrect, for he was sure that Abhijeet could be dangerous if he wished. But the murderer part was debatable.

"That is your comrade?" Abhijeet stated more than asked.

Sherlock did not reply. None was needed. It was perfectly clear that John was more than a very close and trusted friend; else he would not be involved in this case with Sherlock. One could say that John was Sherlock's weakness. Target John and you target Sherlock himself.

"What would you do if he was killed?" asked Abhijeet.

The officers outside the cell tensed, wondering if it was threat before reminding themselves that Abhijeet was on the other side of the bars of the cell, safely locked. ACP and Freddy, however, tensed for different reason. They realised that Abhijeet was about to bring out the topic of Daya's death. But why?

Sherlock was confused, why bring John into the discussion? But he replied, "I will personally see to it that John's murderer gets hanged unto death."

Abhijeet snorted and shook his head in mock disappointment. "That's it?" he asked incredulously, "What a weak bond of friendship you must have! Wouldn't you want revenge? Kill each and every person that ever harmed John? Destroy those who are on John's hate list?"

Sherlock nodded in understanding. He had read the case files. The only motive Abhijeet might have had to kill them was that they were criminals which Daya had not managed to apprehend. He, himself, would honour John's memory by not becoming a murderer and living his life to the fullest. It was not to say that Abhijeet could not have committed these murders, for he certainly had the capacity to. But Daya was his close friend, Sherlock had learned, almost like a brother. He would not follow the path of murder to avenge his friend.

…

Outside the cell, everyone was confused when Abhijeet asked Sherlock if he would not exact revenge for John's death. And even more confused when Sherlock nodded his head in agreement to something but replied, "No,"

At that moment even ACP Pradyuman realised that he had been wrong to suspect Abhijeet even for a moment. It was clear that he would not kill for such a reason. The only problem was the finger prints, they had not yet figured out how they came to be there.

But one thing was for certain – Abhijeet would be moved out of lockup. Immediately.

* * *

Abhijeet freshened himself up in the washroom, put on his coat and walked out, only to see Tarika waiting for him. They were all going to discuss the trap he had devised for the culprit. Sherlock and John had volunteered to stay and help in any which way they could.

"I heard that I am to thank you for the fact that I am free," Abhijeet said as they walked towards the staircase that led to the main Bureau.

Since they had been allowed to expand their office, the canteen and rest rooms had been shifted a floor below while the main Bureau spanned over a whole floor.

"You are not technically free," said Tarika, "as the finger prints are still enough to make you the prime suspect –"

"More like, only suspect,"

"– but yes, you have me to thank for it. Where would you be without me?" she sniffed haughtily, mischief sparkling in her deep brown eyes.

"Chasing other pretty girls, I suppose," Abhijeet answered back cheekily, "instead of waiting for you,"

"Prat!" she huffed, smacking his arm lightly, "You wouldn't have to wait for me if you plucked up the courage to 'pop the question to me', as they say."

"True," Abhijeet agreed. But as it was both of their decision to wait for some time before taking a further step in their relationship, he knew she did not mean anything by her words, "But I am your prat."

She laughed lightly, enjoying the moment with Abhijeet. It had been a long time since they had hanged out. A few phone calls, a couple of visits – and that was it. She had to admit, she missed his flirting comments.

"Sooo," she dragged the word and said, "How's it going since we last met? Found any pretty girls?" She would deny it of course, but there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice as she spoke, twisting the ring on her finger nervously.

"No," replied Abhijeet truthfully, turning to look at her, "Unfortunately, I can't seem to take my eyes off the one I already have."

A small blush crept up her cheeks at that. Tarika smirked playfully, now reassured that everything was the same between them, "I don't see anything unfortunate about that,"

They had reached the Bureau then, which made Abhijeet stop saying what he had been about to. He pushed open the door and took a seat next to Freddy around the table that had been placed in the centre. Tarika too sat down in an unoccupied chair besides Dr Salunkhe. Now that everyone was present, they could begin

"First thing we need to do is to let the killer know that Abhijeet sir will be set free," began Freddy, on getting a nod from ACP Pradyuman, "so that he comes out of hiding again and try to murder someone."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"But how will we let him know, sir?" asked Vivek.

ACP Pradyuman opened his mouth to reply but Abhijeet beat him to it, "Simple," Abhijeet shrugged, "we use the best medium there is – the newspaper." Then remembering that he did not have the authority to call the shots here, he turned towards ACP, "Is that alright, sir?"

Pradyuman swallowed dryly. Previously, Abhijeet's word was taken as good as his. As his right hand man, his decisions held as much as weight as the ACP's. Now, Abhijeet turned to him to confirm things, as if had no authority (which he technically didn't) and it once more reminded him of the fact that Abhijeet was no longer a part of CID.

"Yes," ACP confirmed, "Sachin, you shall be in charge of this." Then he addressed them all, "Find out who can be the murderer's next victim. It will have to be someone who is a criminal and was supposed to be caught by Daya."

"No need, sir," Freddy said, "I've already done that. There are only two possible victims – Srijan and Taran."

He pushed the file towards ACP Pradyuman. The ACP was impressed by his preparation and accepted the file, carefully going through their details. Then as a thought suddenly struck him, he stopped and turned to Freddy.

"Fredericks, how did you find out about these two men?" questioned the ACP.

"From Daya sir's old case files, sir," answered Freddy in a confused tone. After all, it was obvious, how else would he find out about them?

"Exactly!" exclaimed the ACP, "From Daya's old case files. But you had access to them as you are a CID officer. How did the killer come to know? How did he gain access to Daya's case files?"

Realisation dawned across everyone's faces as they thought about it.

"Find out," ordered ACP Pradyuman, "call and find out if anyone wanted access to Daya's case files from our Records Office. Now!"

Tasha jumped up and moved to the corner of the room as she called the Office. A few minutes later, she returned, shaking her head.

"No, sir," said Tasha, "Apart from Freddy sir and Abhijeet sir, no one asked for Daya sir's case files."

Abhijeet sat up at that, "Wait a moment! I never went to have a look at Daya's case files. Why would I? Tasha, are you sure they said it was me?"

"Yes, sir. They _saw_ that it was you."

Murmurs spread out how was this possible? Sherlock and John watched quietly, having no idea what was going on.

"Well," drawled Sherlock loudly, "isn't it obvious?"

"What is obvious?" snapped Kajal, irritably.

"Someone looking like Abhijeet went to the Record Office and took advantage of the fact that as he was a known CID officer, even though retired, no one would check for an ID card. And he was easily allowed to take Inspector Daya's old files."

There was a silence at that. Nobody wanted to think of the consequences. Abhijeet's lookalike? The last time that happened, it wasn't pleasant. Wait…the last time? What if…?

""Freddy!" said ACP Pradyuman, "Pay Dr Ratan a visit. Ask him; ask him if he would like to spend the rest of his life in jail or if he would like to speak the truth."

* * *

Dr Ratan was the doctor that had proclaimed Rocky dead. And it had struck ACP Pradyuman that it was very easy for Rocky to convince the doctor to announce his death. Then, because they believed him to be already cremated, they would not be able to even check his body for CID had never truly gotten proof about Rocky being dead, and Freddy cursed the fact that he had never made sure of it. Yes, it was very possible that Rocky was still alive.

Abhijeet did not know what to feel. If Rocky was alive, he would finally be able to take his revenge. Rocky did not deserve a quick and easy death. But on the other hand, he could not bring himself to commit a murder. And he wasn't even a part of CID now, making it impossible for him to handle a gun. It was in such a moment that he regretted leaving CID. But one thing was for sure, he could not let Rocky escape this time. This time, his revenge would not be left incomplete. This time, Rocky would not survive.

At the same time Freddy went to Dr Ratan's place, Sachin conducted a small interview with a reporter. The news would be printed in tomorrow's paper. After which, all the officers set themselves to the task of locating Taran and Srijan, before the murderer could. They would have to make sure they reached them before they were killed by the killer.

Freddy later arrived with the news that Dr Ratan had lied. Rocky was indeed alive. Things had just become more dangerous. Rocky was a criminal hell bent on destroying CID and he was very clever too. Yes, things had certainly become more dangerous.

Dr Salunkhe, after conducting some research, informed them about the branch of science called Dactyloscopy. It was possible that Rocky had changed his finger prints to match Abhijeet's. Now, totally proven that Abhijeet was innocent, everyone poured themselves into the case with renewed vigour.

…

ACP Pradyuman and Abhijeet were the only ones left in the Bureau. Everyone else was busy with the case, trying to find Taran and Srijan. John and Sherlock had left, nothing more left for them to do. They had wished the CID the best of luck and promised to keep in touch, especially John and Dr Salunkhe.

Abhijeet sat at his old desk. It was not in use now, but probably would be given to an officer later on. Truthfully, he missed working in the CID. But ever since he had heard that Rocky had been cremated before they could see the body, he had felt kind of restless. He had been, in a way, denied closure. A shadow fell upon him and he looked up to see ACP Pradyuman standing in front of him.

Automatically, he stood up in respect and a ' _Sir?_ ' was about to escape his mouth before he stopped himself. He gave him a short nod and moved to stand at the window. The ACP joined him and he wondered why – why would he now willingly want his company when all he tried to do before was push him away? He stood silently waiting for the other man to speak.

"Abhijeet," ACP Pradyuman began and then paused. He faltered for a few seconds, then said again, "Abhijeet, I'm so very sorry –"

"Sir!" Abhijeet protested immediately, "You don't have to apologise sir –"

"No, Abhijeet," ACP Pradyuman shook his head, "I should not have pushed you away and I hope you know that I never truly blamed you for Daya's death. And I might have doubted you for a moment, only a moment, but I knew in my heart that you would never commit these murders."

"I know, sir," Abhijeet reassured him, "I know. But please do not say sorry, not to me. You should know that I will never think badly of you, no matter what you say. I know that you care for me."

"I do not care for you Abhijeet," denied ACP emphatically, "I love you as my own son."

Abhijeet did not know what to say to that. He knew that ACP had loved him as a son, but he had never said it aloud. Never.

"And I feared that I might lose you forever," said ACP sadly.

"No, sir," Abhijeet said, an old fire sparkled to life within him again, for the first time in years, "You will not lose me; not now, not ever."

And just like that his decision was made. He would re-join CID after this case. He had enough of spending his days at home with his only excursion being a trip to Mamta Foundation. He was determined to move past Daya's death. Together, they would keep his memory alive and cherish the good times they had.

CID would no longer remain the team of officers that they were now. The CID of Mumbai always had one speciality – it worked together as a family. And that was what would happen. With ACP Pradyuman, Senior Inspector Abhijeet and Senior Inspector Fredericks coming back together, they would once again create the strong bond of friendship and love that had provided them with strength to battle against their physical as well as emotional devils.

* * *

'"Due to there being insufficient evidence, we had to release Abhijeet," says Inspector Sachin. This news reporter wonders, how the retired CID officer ever got suspected, but Inspector Sachin refuses to reveal more, "This is confidential matter, and we are still investigating. As soon as we catch the culprit, with enough proof, we shall release the case details."'

Rocky flung the newspaper down in anger. He had read half the article and came to know that his plan was foiled. He knew he shouldn't have killed Jaggu on Friday. He would have murdered him early Saturday morning as always, but Jaggu had plans to leave the State. Abhijeet must have procured an alibi for that evening.

 _'No matter,'_ thought Rocky, _'I shall murder one more person and this time let a witness see me. And I shall murder him on a Saturday, before he leaves for Pune. This time Abhijeet will not be able to escape easily. After all, the only face the witness will recognise is Abhijeet's! Yes, just one more murder, and then you are finished, Abhijeet.'_

He pulled open Daya's case files again and picked a suitable victim. Taran – an old drug smuggler, who has gone into hiding to escape the police. Daya never caught him as died before he could. Yes, this would be his next target. Next Saturday, the CID would find another dead body.

* * *

This had to be the fastest they ever found two underground criminals. After all, they had only four days to do it, else someone would die. It was Thursday today. Two days ago, on Tuesday, CID had come to know that Rocky as alive. Since then, every spare moment they had, was spent searching for Rocky's would be victims. And today, finally, they had gotten a lead.

Srijan's old partner in crime, who they managed to capture had let them know his current address. And that was where Freddy and Sachin were headed; to warn him of a possible attack and to convince him to help them lay a trap for Rocky, should he be his next victim. Of course, it didn't mean that he was going to be let off, after their current case was solved, Srijan would find his accommodations shift to Central Jail.

At the same time, Vivek, Kajal and Tasha were tracking Taran's mobile phone. They had managed to get the number from one of their informers and were now busy chasing him as he kept moving in the crowded city of Mumbai. The man just refused to stay still!

"Argh!" exclaimed Tasha in frustration, "Vivek, stop! Take a U-turn, he changed his direction again."

Vivek obediently took a U-turn, bringing them back on Taran's trail. On the back seat of the car, Tasha monitored Taran's movements on a laptop while Kajal sat beside Vivek on the front seat.

"Has Freddy sir managed to catch hold of Srijan?" asked Kajal as their car was led into a particularly narrow lane in pursuit of Taran.

"Yes," Vivek replied, "Freddy sir managed to surprise him, something he is the best at – stealth. He and two of his goons are now in our custody. Srijan has already agreed to help us trap Rocky. If he is the next victim, then Rocky will not escape us. Now if only Taran would stop moving so much!"

Sure enough, Taran had once again changed direction and the CID officers changed theirs in accordance. Half an hour later, Tasha sighed in relief, "He's stopped for now. Quick Vivek, speed up! We must get him before he moves again."

Thankfully, Taran's mobile phone stayed in one place and they managed to corner him before he could leave. Taran gulped when he surrounded by three CID officers.

"Finally!" Kajal exclaimed. She walked towards him, caught hold of his ear and pulled him towards their car. She shoved him in the backseat and said, "What do you think you are playing at? Can't stay put can you? Huh? What was the need to go gallivanting around the place?"

Vivek and Tasha grinned at each other. Kajal always tended to be a little impatient. Not _too_ much, just a little.

"I'm sorry ma'am," said Taran, "but the wife gave me a very long shopping list."

...

They were now on their way back towards the Bureau, Kajal was driving with Tasha in the front seat and Vivek was in the back seat along with Taran. On the way, Taran had told them that he had stopped doing 'illegal stuff' and was trying to become a better man. So, it was very easy to convince him to go along with their plan should he become Rocky's target.

"I hope all goes well," Tasha prayed aloud, "I don't want another disastrous ending."

Vivek nodded, his face sombre, but Kajal, not being there the last time, was confused, "What could be disastrous in this? Abhijeet and Freddy sir have put forth this plan. It will go well."

"Oh, I'm confident about that," replied Tasha, "but Rocky simply spells disaster. Last time, we lost a CID member in the confrontation. But at least, we felt that it was not in vain, Rocky died too. Now, he has popped up again, three years later…"

"Senior Inspector Daya, right?" confirmed Kajal, "I have heard a lot about him, in training, that is. They would always praise his skills. What a pity, I did not get to meet him. He died an honourable death."

"He may have died an honourable death," said Vivek sadly, "but he left us incomplete."

Kajal could not understand, how did one person leave such a big impression on all of them? And what did he mean by incomplete? Everything was perfectly fine.

When she said it aloud, Vivek shook his head, "If everything would have been fine, Abhijeet sir would not have resigned, ACP sir would not have become so distant and Freddy sir…" Vivek stopped; the change in Freddy had affected Vivek the most. They still remained as close as ever though it was clear that he missed the old Fredericks.

"Freddy sir was different," he continued, "he was still a brilliant and dedicated officer, but he was something more too. Jovial, funny, light hearted – a breath of fresh air. He was a happy man, truly content. Now? He is still happy, but it seems as if part of him is missing."

Kajal listened quietly as Vivek spoke of his friend, his senior, re-telling stories where he had pulled Freddy's leg in jest or Freddy sir had made a fool out of him. Hearing about how things used to be, she finally began to understand just how much she had missed. She had missed the chance of a family, a home away from home.

* * *

The plan failed, spectacularly.

Rocky was a clever criminal. Smarter than the average. He had located Taran and when the CID showed up just before he killed him, he knew he had to flee. And he fled – ran as if the Devil was chasing him. The detectives gave chase but even with Freddy, Sachin and Kajal behind him, he managed to escape.

They returned to the Bureau disheartened and that was how Abhijeet got the news. He had not been allowed of course, to take part in his capture. But he had waited at the Bureau, in the hope that he would at least be able to see the man once before he was carted off to jail.

The reporting officers stepped back in fear, not of ACP Pradyuman but of Abhijeet. He had got up, seething in anger; his chair had fallen to the ground with the force of his fury. Sachin and Kajal had never truly seen Abhijeet angry – irritated, yes; annoyed, that too – but boiling in anger? Never. But they were now and they had a feeling it would not be pleasant.

ACP Pradyuman had often shouted at them when they failed particularly important missions or failed to produce results soon, but Abhijeet had always been his buffer, stopping ACP before he demotivated the officers too much. Vivek wondered who would be able to calm Abhijeet sir down, now that Daya sir was no longer here.

Abhijeet paced a bit before looking at ACP, disbelief, hurt and most of all, anger shining in his eyes. ACP offered him a grim smile, agreeing that, yes, Rocky had bested them again. When Abhijeet turned towards the officers, ACP did not stop him. He would have expressed his displeasure at them, but he felt Abhijeet needed to cool off more than he did.

Before Abhijeet said a word, Freddy stepped forward saying, "Sir,"

Vivek winced in sympathy, no doubt thinking that Freddy would now bear the brunt of his anger. But instead, Abhijeet stopped and taking it as encouragement, Freddy moved forward and placed a hand on his arm in comfort. His eyes tried to convey his apology, shame and a promise to not let this happen again.

Everyone watched as Abhijeet's eyes locked with Freddy's and after taking a deep breath, he said, "He shall not escape us a second time."

"He shall not, sir," confirmed Freddy, a glint in his eye.

And just like that, it was over. All the officers went back to work, trying to find Rocky's whereabouts, engaging all their resources in it. As Kajal got busy, she couldn't help but think that the whole scene seemed like a recital of one of Vivek's stories she had heard that day. And she somehow felt, that soon, everything would go back to normal. That everything truly would be fine – soon.

* * *

That evening as Abhijeet stood behind Freddy's chair, reading over his shoulder, his eyes caught a detail in the file. It said that despite Rocky's particular and systematic ways in not leaving any clues for the police, he had a possessive nature, what he considered as his, he would not give up. That meant, no matter how dangerous, he would not clear evidence and change Headquarters in the fear of getting caught.

Of course, Rocky had not returned to his old headquarters, where he had once imprisoned Abhijeet, since three years. But now, with the CID once again on his tail, that would be the first place he would go – to take anything he considered of importance.

Abhijeet considered it for a moment. Yes, that was what Rocky would do. And he would vacate his headquarters the first thing in the morning.

' _Clever,_ ' thought Abhijeet, ' _since the police would think that that he would go to his old hidey hole as a last resort.'_

He could predict Rocky's moves because he knew that like him, he would have done the same.

"Sir?" Freddy's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? What, did you get anything, Freddy?" Abhijeet asked.

"No, sir," replied Freddy, then looking straight at him, he said, "But it seemed as if you have."

Damn! Freddy was too perceptive for his own good. Abhijeet opened his mouth to tell him, but for some reason he did not. Instead he asked, "Do you trust me Freddy?"

Startled by the odd question, he paused before replying, "Totally, sir,"

They looked at each other for a long moment before Abhijeet said, "Then give me your gun."

Thrown for a loop, Freddy did not know what to do, what Abhijeet was asking him was bordering on illegal. In the end he did what he had always done. He trusted Abhijeet, just as Abhijeet trusted him no matter what, and pulled out his service gun and laid it in Abhijeet's hands.

Abhijeet held the gun with sure fingers and walked over to his old desk. The other officers watched as he pulled open a drawer and then closed it after a moment. ACP Pradyuman glanced up from his work just in time to see Abhijeet walk out of the Bureau with a gun in hand. It took a minute for him to register what he had seen, but when it did, he jumped up and quickly went over to the door. But when he opened it, Abhijeet was already gone.

"Fredericks!" ACP turned to him, "What did you do? Why did you give him your gun? It was yours, wasn't it?"

In the meantime, Freddy had also moved from his work table and come to stand beside Abhijeet's old desk. "Yes, sir," Freddy agreed, "that was my gun,"

"And do you have an explanation as to why it was in Abhijeet's hand?" ACP raised an eyebrow.

"He asked me to trust him," was the simple answer.

"He asked you to trust him?" repeated ACP incredulously, "And so you gave him a fully loaded gun?"

"Loaded?" Freddy snorted. He pulled opened the drawer that only minutes ago Abhijeet had closed. Inside it laid a magazine, filled with bullets. "The gun is as empty as it could be, sir."

* * *

As soon as Abhijeet left the Bureau, he headed for Rocky's headquarters. He let himself in quietly, his police training coming in use as he instinctively made his footsteps lighter as he peeped into every room he passed in search of Rocky. When he finally found him, it was to see Rocky hurriedly search for something in his desk, his back facing Abhijeet.

"Well, well, well," drawled Abhijeet, casually leaning against the door frame, "Look who's here! Rocky – in the flesh! Literally."

At that, Rocky spun around quickly, simultaneously pulling out his gun and aiming it at the intruder. His face registered shock for the barest of a moment, but then seeing that Abhijeet was unarmed and alone, he put his gun away, smirking evilly.

"Abhijeet," said Rocky in amusement, "I would say that I'm surprised you found me so quickly, but that would be a lie."

"And I would say that it's a pleasure to see you, but that would be a lie too," retorted Abhijeet.

They stared at each other for some time, before Rocky sat down on a chair on the other side of the desk.

"Why are you here?" asked Rocky, then correcting himself, he repeated, "Why are you here, alone? Shouldn't you have brought your beloved ACP along with you, and the rest of the officers, to capture me?" Then he chuckled, "Not that the three that followed me today did a good job at it. You alone would have been more of a challenge than them."

Abhijeet did not say anything to that. Then he spoke, "You should not have survived."

"I did not expect to," came the unexpected, honest answer, "I did not want to,"

"Why didn't you kill yourself then?"

"I am not one to give up," Rocky smirked, "I was given another chance to live, why would I kill myself?"

"Not one to give up?" asked Abhijeet, "Then why were you accepting, wanting death before? Are you too much of a coward to kill yourself? Or is it that you wanted to die by my hand?"

Abhijeet's taunts finally got under Rocky's skin and with a small snarl made to lift his gun and shoot Abhijeet. However, Abhijeet wasn't considered as one of the best CID officers for show. Before Rocky could lift his gun, he pulled Freddy's gun out and aimed it at him.

"Not one move," threatened Abhijeet dangerously, "Lift the gun and I shoot."

Rocky slowly put the gun back on the table, "What do you want?" Though Rocky tried to say it as a threat, an undercurrent of fear was audible in his voice.

Abhijeet smirked. "Lift the gun and place it at your temple."

Rocky's eyes widened, "I'm not shooting myself!"

"Oh, really? So, you _do_ want to die by my hand! I would have thought that you would prefer to die on your own terms, by your own hand. I'm giving you a way to do it, Rocky." Abhijeet spoke coaxingly, tempting him skilfully with his words. "I am not forcing you. You can either shoot yourself or I shoot you myself or we wait in this way till the CID comes to arrest you."

One could see the gears of Rocky's mind turning. He did not want to be captured like a common criminal by the CID and neither did he want to be shot by Abhijeet, again. It would be insulting. So he did the only thing he could think of.

Rocky picked up the gun slowly, "See you in hell, Abhijeet." And of course, he had to have the last word.

* * *

In the CID Bureau, ACP Pradyuman was questioning Freddy as to Abhijeet's whereabouts. Since his mobile was switched off, they couldn't even trace him that way.

"I don't really know sir," Freddy told his senior for what must have been the tenth time in the last five minutes, "Abhijeet sir and I were looking at Rocky's police records when he suddenly got this realisation and then he took off."

"Police records, did you say?" asked the ACP. Then walking over to the desk where the sile was still open, he quickly went through the contents trying to see what rang a bell in Abhijeet's mind. Then, when he saw it, he looked at his juniors and barked out an order, "Let's go!"

On the way to Rocky's headquarters, ACP explained the reason for going there. Freddy drove twice as fast to get them there quickly.

"But why didn't Abhijeet tell us?" asked ACP in frustration. "I hope he doesn't do something foolish. Like taking on Rocky on his own!"

"Don't worry, sir," Freddy reassured him, not feeling particularly reassured himself, "Nothing like that will happen. Trust me, sir, it will be fine."

Their car came to a stop outside an old, dilapidated bungalow. The officers got out of the car and guns in hand, moved to the main entrance of the house. They were not surprised to see it open and spread out to look for both Rocky and Abhijeet.

Freddy was slowly creeping up the stairs when he heard it. Bang! – The sound of a bullet being fired.

'No!' Freddy thought desperately, heart hammering in his chest, 'No! Goddess, no!' The last thing he wanted was for Abhijeet to leave them too. He ran towards the sound, ACP right next to him and they paused at the door.

Abhijeet stood there, alone. Relief, in a way that he had never felt before, filled him. Then as he looked about, he saw a pair of feet poking out from behind the desk. ACP Pradyuman looked nearly faint but he gathered his wits and upon his order, Vivek went over to check the man for a pulse.

"Dead," announced Vivek.

"Did you shoot him, sir?" Sachin asked. It made Freddy want to bonk him on the head for asking such a question.

"Shoot him?" asked Abhijeet with an amused shake of his head, "There is not a single bullet in my gun. No, Rocky decided that my empty gun pointed at him was more dangerous than killing himself." Abhijeet snorted, "Not that he knew that the gun was empty."

Finally, it was over. A week later, all formalities were completed and Rocky's case was closed, this time, for good.

* * *

It had been three months since Abhijeet had re-joined CID. Everyone finally began moving on from Daya's death. Dr Salunkhe had grumbled good naturedly when Tarika and Abhijeet got together again. Freddy, now happy that Abhijeet was back to his old self, smiled and laughed more, once again joking with Vivek and Tasha. ACP Pradyuman was content, things between Abhijeet and him had changed certainly – they became closer than they were before. As for Sachin and Kajal, they now got to see a wholly different side of their colleagues.

Most remarkable, yet expected change was the closeness between Abhijeet and Fredericks. They had become as close as Abhijeet and Daya used to once be. True, Freddy would never take Daya's place, but he now had an equally important place in Abhijeet's heart.

Fredericks followed a simple philosophy in life. What has happened, has happened. What will happen, will happen. Do not worry for the future, do not regret the past, simply enjoy the present. And as he laughed and joked with Abhijeet, and saw how much at peace he was, he knew that he followed the correct philosophy.

Speaking of not worrying for the future – he patted his pockets, wondering where the shopping list, his wife had given him, was. Manisha had promised (read: threatened) that if he did not buy those items, he would not enter the house tonight. Abhijeet of course did not help him in the slightest and simply laughed himself silly.

**Author's Note:**

> I had always wondered what would have happened had Daya died and Rocky lived. Things would have changed surely. The CID would never have rested in peace till the criminal was punished.
> 
> So, I would like to say thanks to Metallic Mist [on FFnet] for giving me the opportunity to write this fic - I ceratinly would have been too lazy to do so without prompting.
> 
> Thanks to my cousin sister, who helped me in quite a few places where I found myself stuck.
> 
> Finally, I would like to say - PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!
> 
> Oh, well. I think that's all.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the story!


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